Fleming 1 Tanner Fleming Ms.

Rebecca Agosta English 1101 18 Sept 2013 Literacy Amongst Leadership All throughout life people are tested in different ways from mental, physical, or emotional standpoints. Some experiences come harder or seem easierly based on the type of person you are. Depending on the route you choose to take in life, these tests or opportunities, however you may perceive them, there are always methods to build a stronger character and a stronger foundation into the lifestyle you strive to live. For my case, athletics have has presented many of instances where I have been tested in a variety of ways. As clich as it may sound, sports have molded me into the person I am today in customs I know I would not have reached through another doorway. Leadership has become a strong suit in my personality through lessons and impacts on my life and those around me. I believe that leadership is more than just a trait that anybody can have, it is a way of communication and establishment through understanding. Now regardless if of whether you are into sports, theatre, music, academics, the list goes on, the concept of leadership may or may not affect you in certain ways, but I do believe we are exposed to it from any of lifes perspective. The true sense of leadership comes from the ability to communicate with others and prompt you into somebody who isnt forcing others to follow, but rather them choosing to. Along the process you can learn through being wrong, or even right. But what Im saying is leadership is more than just a concept; it is an influence upon literacy. Ive always believed in hard work and doing the job right if you are even going to start it from the beginning. Many of us share the same thoughts which might have to do with the fact
Comment [R2]: Well said. This intro leads me into your focus of taking opportunities to better yourself. Comment [R1]: Good MLA

Fleming 2 you are where you are right now. In fifth grade, I started football during the fall. This soon became something that I loved because I was good, and I didnt even know it at the time. When the season had ended, I was surrounded in admiration from my coaches, teammates, and parents of the team. I found my very first passion when I was 11 years old, and I knew this was something I could really get into. The following year my coaches, teammates, and parents expected more from me. At such a young age I didnt really know what it meant to set an example or become somebody worth following. All I knew was that I was out there playing a game on Saturday mornings having a great time. When youre just a kid you dont really think about the way others look at you or even what they truly expect. As I look back on it now, at 11 years of age I was becoming a leader by hitting people and chasing after a ball. I began to realize that my emotions and my drive created somewhat of a ripple effect on those around me throughout the team. A positive demeanor with every drill and every play seemed to influence my teammates following me to do the same. Its almost as if I had the desire to set an affirmative trend during my role as a younger leader. As I would set the example, I was essentially communicating with others even though I wasnt speaking of verbal inspiration at the time. When I reached middle school, it seemed that all everybody could talk about were football tryouts during the first week of school. The leadership characteristics I had shown in my first two years of football prior had unintentionally transitioned into arrogance. Through my arrogance I chose not to practice and prepare for tryouts which resulted in me not making the team that year. As the most humbling experience in my life up until that point, I wasnt exactly sure how to take it. I lacked discipline simply due to the fact that I had always had it easy and had never really run into a trial until these moments in my life. So as a new, humbled me had
Comment [R4]: Ah, showing how learning to be a leader takes error as well. Comment [R3]: I think this section really worked to illustrate what you meant about leadership being an influence on literacy. You see it as a way of communicating, and in this instance, doing it through your own values and demeanor rather than through your words. What Im noticing so far is that you wrote this like a traditional essay. I think you could easily break them up into snapshots, but it may not have been approached in the same fragmented way that Kothari used.

Fleming 3 prepared for the following year, I took on a challenge to read former NFL coach Tony Dungys autobiography on leadership, Quiet Strength. His story taught me more of what I needed to know in order to promote myself as a substantial leader on and off the field of play even at such a young age, once again. I really took to heart that stubbornness could be a virtue when you are right, but a character flaw when you are wrong. When the next season had come around I was elected team captain and began to elevate my leadership into verbal communication rather than just setting an example like I did in the previous years. I had knowledge of football because it was something that I loved, and that I loved to study. When others didnt quite understand what to do, I didnt hesitate to become another coach on the side. Although football may seem simpler than it is, I can assure you there is more than meets the eye. Techniques, form, alignment, plays, the list goes on, understanding the game is just as important as attempting to play it. During high school, I was blessed enough to have the opportunity to play on the varsity team as a freshman. Even as the youngest player on the team, I was still called to make an impact on those around me through leadership. , eExcept now it was through more than football. I was chosen to be a member of the D.R.E.A.M. Team which is an acronym for Daring to Role model Excellence as an Athletic Mentor. As one of the twelve members in the school, we were given the privilege to speak to younger children and even kids our own age about responsibility and becoming a leader themselves. I know it may sound sort of impractical to influence everybody we spoke to, but making a difference in one would mean we were still making an impact. Leadership is not something that is necessarily genetic. It can be taught; and that was something that we tried to do for people. In society, leadership is a distinctive trait that represents structure in operation. So in my opinion, without leadership, there is no foundation.
Comment [R7]: Interesting. This section is a little shorter than of a page. Since I have not had this experience, maybe here would be a good spot to illustrate what you did within this team. Do you have a particular memory you can talk through? A description that will allow the reader to understand it? Comment [R6]: Interesting, so you would be in 8th grade at the point? When I recognize leaders in the classroom, it tends to be because they are able to recognize that they have something to offer the class as a whole and their peers. For me, thats what this snapshot illustrates. Comment [R5]: Interesting, so learning from those within the field through reading. Formatted: Font: Italic, No underline

Fleming 4 My experience last year at the United States Air Force Academy probably played the biggest role in my experience as becoming and continuing leadership-based character. The military atmosphere required us as airmen, and as students, to work together in stressful environments and learn how to accomplish tasks optimally. Initiating action followed with guidance and motivation is the key to successful leadership. Communication was always organized and structured when we were given commands and when we were ordered to give them. Before my attendance to the academy, as well as my classmates, we had little to no understanding of military terminology. We were taught to communicate differently regardless if of whether we were talking to each other, a subordinate, or somebody appointed over ourselves. Not only was this communication verbal, but technological and through body language. Cover Letter As I wrote this paper I contemplated on whether or not I had the correct understanding of the assignment based on the work of my other classmates. My literacy seemed to be the only one that wasnt tangible in my snapshot essay. I dont necessary think that it is wrong, just different. I still believe that it meets the requirements of a how the literacy effected my life. However, it was interesting to look back into how my character, as a leader, has developed since a young age. Sometimes you need to look back on your past experiences to realize how blessed you are today even if they werent exactly fun. My events took place in a chronological order which I felt made it easier to show my development and evolution, if you will, of my character through the role of leadership.
Comment [R8]: Same comment as the above snapshot. Giving the reader some specific details/examples will help ground us in your literacy exploration. Also, most of your snapshots ended with a reflection or stance on leadership, and this one did not. You may want to consider keeping that theme throughout and developing this entry to also have one. Overall, I enjoyed the essay. It was much more reflective than narrative, which is fine, but do consider adding some specific moments so that the reader can tie your ideas about literacy and leader to real examples. For instance, the entry about not making the team was more impactful because the reader has a solid experience through which to understand it. Each of these paragraphs could stand alone, so there is a way to make this in snapshot structure. Remember, at the very least, a snapshot essay should have space between each snapshot. Snapshots are meant to stand alone, but to have additional meaning when framed together. Comment [R9]: Yeah, there arent typical markers of a learned literacy, such as steps that a sport or a certain knowledge will have. Comment [R10]: Make sure to say what you want feedback on in your cover letter.